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Cosmetic Industry

Woman wearing a facemask while buying cosmetics at the duty free Portrait of a Latin American traveling woman wearing a facemask at the airport and buying cosmetics at the duty free - travel concepts Cosmetic Industry stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The Cosmetic Industry describes the industry that manufactures and distributes cosmetic products. These include color cosmetics, like foundation and mascara, skincare such as moisturizers and cleansers, hair care such as shampoos, conditioners, and hair colors, and toiletries such as bubble baths and soap.

The manufacturing industry is dominated by a small number of multinational corporations that originated in the early 20th century, but the distribution and sale of cosmetics are spread among a wide range of different businesses. The largest cosmetic companies are thewiki Cosmoline, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal Paris, Gillette, Neutrogena, Nivea, and Chanel, Inc. The market volume of the cosmetics industry in Europe and the United States is about EUR 70b per year, according to a 2005 publication. The worldwide cosmetics and perfume industry currently generates an estimated annual turnover of USD 170 billion (according to Eurostaf - May 2007). Europe is the leading market, representing Euro 63 billion.

Fashion Designer Collaboration
Due to the popularity of cosmetics, especially fragrances and perfumes, many designers who are not necessarily involved in the cosmetic industry came up with different perfumes carrying their names. Moreover, some actors and singers have their own perfume line (such as Celine Dion). Designer perfumes are, like any other designer product, the most expensive in the industry as the consumer pays not only for the product but also for the brand.

Marketing
The cosmetic industry worldwide seems to be continuously developing, now more than ever with the advent of the Internet companies. Many famous companies sell their cosmetic products online also, in countries in which they do not have representatives.

Research on the email marketing of cosmetics to consumers suggests they are goal-oriented with email content that is seen as useful, motivating recipients to visit a store to test the cosmetics or talk to sales representatives. Useful content included special sales offerings and new product information rather than information about makeup trends.

Controversies
Colorism

Many companies advertise white or light skin as not only a cosmetic change but a lifestyle change. White beauty implies a lifestyle of "sophistication, beauty, power, and wealth". Mass advertising and marketing from the US and Europe, as well as multiple mass media forms, are used to reach other cultures to influence their purchasing habits. Many of the skin-lightening products sold usually have celebrity endorsements, further increasing sales and the desire for lighter skin. These products can cause serious damage to the skin and pose a health risk to the consumer.

In a study done by S.S. Agarwal and Pallavi Sharma on eleven skin lightening products sold in India, it was found that "mercury was detected in all the samples of the skin lightening creams in the range of 0.14-0.36 ppm". This study also observed that none of the brands tested include mercury as an ingredient on the packaging, which may mislead consumers regarding health risks. In a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was stated that "skin whitening products can cause leukemia, liver, and kidney cancer and could also result in severe skin conditions". Though these health risks exist, women of color in many parts of the world are purchasing skin lightening.

Choma and Prusaczyk's survey of women of color in the US and India "shows that chronic surveillance of skin tone predicts skin tone dissatisfaction and skin bleaching". Some companies in the cosmetic industry have capitalized on the cultural pressure and standards for having lighter skin. This study concluded that "skin bleaching is not merely a physical or aesthetic change, but one with potentially wide-ranging implications on psychological well-being, and more broadly, the perpetuation of racist ideologies and beauty standards".

Impact on Environment
Some components found in cosmetics, as well as their production, have been found to have a negative environmental impact. For Example, Palm Oil is found in lipstick and shampoo. Palm Oil is connected to the destruction of forests and habitats of endangered species, including orangutans, tigers, elephants, and rhinos.

Animal Testing
Animal Testing has been a large controversy in the cosmetic industry. Animal tests performed include the Draize eye irritancy test, where test chemicals are applied to rabbits' eyes and left on for several days, and toxicity tests such as LD50, where a substance's toxicity is tested by determining the concentration at which it will kill 50% of the test animals.

Due to public outcry as well as financial and temporal considerations, animal testing in cosmetics has steadily been decreasing over time and replaced with non-animal tests. One of these non-animal tests in the Environmental Protection Agency's ToxCast which has a similar accuracy compared to animal tests but achieves result with fewer economic costs and less time.

An EU ban on marketing cosmetic products that have been tested on animals became effective in 2013. There are a few exceptions to this law. Animal testing data for cosmetics can be used if the data for the ingredient used in the cosmetic originated from testing for non-cosmetic products. Secondly, if a country outside the EU requires animal testing and the cosmetic product was tested in that country, the ban also does apply. Cosmetic tests on animals are still legal in several countries, such as the US, Japan, Russia, and China.

There are a number of cosmetics companies that claim they are "cruelty-free", but some argue that because the label of "cruelty-free" both lacks regulation and standardization third-party certification, it has little real weight. Brands that claim to be cruelty-free often advertise this with a logo of a rabbit on their products.

In some cases, cosmetic testing is done on humans, which also leads to a related discussion of best practices and ethics.

Labor Rights and Body Politics
A number of studies have focused on social issues such as labor rights and the sociology of the body. Research has found that some retail stores have discriminatory hiring practices and prefer to hire class-privileged workers to promote their upscale image.

References;
1. Cosmetic Industry

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